My first contact with the Toronto Folk Scene was througfh Ted Schaffer (sp?). My friend Jim Cox and I had formed a folk trio circa 1960 with my brother Gary. Jim's dad told us that he had a friend who would give us some pointers. We drove to Toronto and Mr. Cox introduced us to his friend Ted. He taught me the Carter's scratch on the guitar and helped Jim with basic up-picking on the banjo. He also told us about Sing Out! magazine and the Mariposa Folk Festival which was to be held that summer at The Oval in Orillia. We went to that festival and all the rest of the Orillia festivals.
I attended the first Toronto Mariposa, held at Maple Leaf Stadium. My brother Bob and our friend Dennis slept beside the Princess Gates. I met Mississippi John Hurt that weekend (though I didn't know who he was. I was just excited that he actually knew Gary Davis) I ran back to find Bob and Dennis to tell them that I'd met a friend of Rev Gary's. Imagine my surprise when he appeared on stage later in the festival. Some other performers were Skip James, The Greenbriar Boys, Joanie Anderson (later to become Joannie Mitchell) Buffie St. Marie, Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Kines, David Rea... I saw Al Cromwell in the audience, but I don't think he was on the bill.
The police said that we weren't allowed to sleep by the Princess Gates, so we were invited by Terry Whelan, who had been Gord Lightfoot's partner in the Two Tones at the first two Mariposas, to sleep in his back yard. I recall there were a bunch of us sitting around picking and singing in his yard.
Thanks for starting this Eve. I don't know if you'd remember me, but I met you at Mike and Pat's in Port Hope and at Aengus's as well.